While creators continue to stand in solidarity with the ongoing Hollywood SAG-AFTRA strike, they haven’t actually seen an uptick in business. But the longer it continues, the harder it will be to turn a blind eye, creators told Digiday.
The strike
Seventy days and counting. The actors’ union, Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents about 160,000 professionals, started its strike action on July 14, over a dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studios. The issue at play is about fair compensation for actors; to ensure they’re being properly paid (in line with inflation), they get updates to their pension and health contribution caps, as well as compensation for TV reruns and films on streaming services.
People negotiating on SAG-AFTRA’s behalf are demanding that the actors’ get financial compensation, partly based on viewership levels. But the studios, which include Netflix, Disney and Amazon, aren’t wanting to be transparent with that information. A further concern has erupted around AI, for example, who owns the rights if an actor’s voice or visual image is reproduced by AI.
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